I'm not so new anymore but back when I was new here's what happened: after three days of "teaching" my sixth grade son at home, I realized our relationship would never recover from an entire year of math worksheets, English lessons, and the feelings of frustration which marked the end of our, admittedly few, days. So this blog documents our first year of unschooling--the good, the bad, and the better--and then it just keeps on going...

My little sister and my best friend's younger brother walking out the door fully clothed and returning naked and covered in mud. The screams and giggles when my mom hosed them down in the front yard.

Sitting on the living room sofa, hugging my best friend tight, trying to work up a few tears, while a real estate agent walked through the house with my mom. We thought the woman might refuse to sell the house if she could see what an amazing friendship she'd be tearing apart in the process. It didn't work.

Hayden Avenue - Corona, CA

Finding a training bra in my Christmas stocking. Wanting to crawl under the couch and hide.

The night my best friend started her period and her mom took us to the store to buy sanitary napkins and told the checker, "This is our first box of these." Wanting to crawl under the cash register and hide.

When the girl who lived across the street from Tammy went on vacation with her mom and brother and her dad hung himself in the bathroom while they were away.

Mohawk Circle - San Ramon, CA (the high school years)

Being quoted in the newspaper after winning a songleading competition, saying "I'm so happy I feel like I could do flip flops around the gym." Wanting to crawl under the couch and hide.

My boyfriend, Ben, hanging out at my house with his friends (all sporting mohawks, dark eyeliner, chains, and Doc Martens) and my brother rounding up his friends to gawk.

Trying to decide if I should tell her mom when my best friend tried to kill herself. I told.

My sister finding birth control pills in a suitcase I'd brought back from college, looking at me wide-eyed with shock and saying, "I know what these are!"

Finding out there had been a prostitution ring being run from the ice cream place near my high school and being mildly insulted that no one had asked me to join. I would have said no, but they could have asked at least.

Fullerton, CA (the college years)

Driving my grandpa's yellow 1967 mustang.

Making a soundtrack for my suicide. (Never ended up playing that mix tape though.)

Finding out my boyfriend was moving to New Mexico the following day and not having enough gas in my car to see him before he left. Crying to some random guy in the bank parking lot after they refused to cash my check. Asking him if I could borrow five bucks for gas. Crying the whole way as I drove to my boyfriend's place at the beach.

When I broke up with my boyfriend (a different one) and he went from boyfriend to stalker and then claimed he was going blind and got my best friend to guide him around the mall. Finding out he was a compulsive liar.

My future husband calling me up the weekend after we met and saying "I'm going to see a play this weekend...You can come if you want." Him showing up with a flower he'd picked from someone's garden and a golden Boy Scout pin he'd found at a second hand store.

Calling my mom and telling her I'd met the man I was going to marry.

Garden Avenue - Los Angeles, CA

Buying our first computer.

Sitting at our kitchen table crying on the day my parents had to put Bandi, our family dog, to sleep.

Warren buying a 1967 Dodge Dart for $600 and the guy he bought it from asking if he could paint me sometime.

Packing up the Dart with all our stuff and leaving it in a friend's driveway while we backpacked around Europe for three months.

When Warren went to work in Australia for three (or was it five?) months and I went to visit for a week and came back feeling tired. When I realized my period was late and told my best friend I would have an abortion if I was pregnant. Buying a pregnancy test and crying when the test came out positive. Rereading the instructions over and over thinking I'd made a mistake. Trying to read the instructions in Spanish thinking the outcome might be different in another language. Not being able to get ahold of Warren in Australia. Not being able to stop my body from shaking when he finally called back at 2 am and I said, "How would you feel about making our family a little larger?" Knowing I could not possibly have an abortion.

Crestmont Avenue - Los Angeles, CA

Having an empty living room because I refused to bring our ugly old futon into our first house.

When my car was stolen from in front of our house late at night on the very day I had finally paid off the loan.

Asking my midwife if anyone had ever given birth and then not actually wanted to hold the baby because of all that gross stuff that's all over it's body when it comes out. The midwife laughing and telling me no.

The morning my water broke--but was just leaking. Sitting around the house with my mom and my friend Gabbi for the next 24 hours, waiting for labor to begin. Trying to speed things along by drinking a tablespoon of castor oil and almost barfing it up.

Going into labor. Realizing that when they said you had to push the baby out they were serious--I'd always thought it was more figurative. Holding my son in my arms and thinking everything about him, including the gross stuff all over his body, was perfect. Falling in love.

because none of them have blogged in ages and I'm tired of waiting for their next post!

Here are the instrustions from Lune:

Have fun, remember 5 memories from places you have called home and 5 new bloggers from around the world, then send them a link to tell them they have been tagged. If you feel that a location just gives too much a way, just write ‘House #1′, ‘House #2′ etc. Good Luck and I can’t wait to read your meme lists.

Thanks Lune for tagging me. I had a great time dredging up all those memories. :)

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"It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for what this delicate little plant needs more than anything, besides stimulation, is freedom. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty."